Epazote Plants

Chenopodium ambrosioides

A delicious new addition to our herb plants and a great addition to your herb gardening - Epazote is a culinary herb well-known to Mexican and Caribbean cooking. The name comes from the Aztec (Nahuatl) epazotl. It is most commonly used in black bean recipes to ward off some of the "negative" side affects of eating beans. The epazote herb plant has become a distinct flavor in Mexican cuisine and is now used to season a variety of dishes including beans, soups, salads and quesadillas. The older leaves on this culinary herb have a stronger flavor and should be used sparingly. Younger leaves have a milder, yet richer flavor.

How to Grow an Epazote Plant?

The epazote plant is not fussy about soil, but wants full sun and good drainage. As with most herb plants, a less-than-rich soil produces the best and most concentrated flavor in the leaves. It can grow fairly large, up to 2 to 3 feet tall, so give it a large pot or container. If you elect to grow epazote outdoors, beware: it self-seeds readily and is considered highly invasive.

Epazote is usually described as an annual, but apparently can be perennial given warm winter temperatures (as we would have indoors). So take care of your epazote plant and it might last you some years. When harvesting, cut the center stem first, to encourage bushing. Prune the plant frequently to prevent flowering and assure a continuing supply of leaf, but don't harvest more than half the plant at a time.

FeaturesZones: Annual Size: 48"H x 36"SLight: Full SunBloom: Pale Green, Mid - SummerUses:Used as a carminative (possessing properties that reduce gas), it is typically cooked with beans. Epazote was once used in teas as a means to expel intestinal worms.Tips: Epazote likes full sun and good drainage and can grow quite large-- give it a nice sized pot. Epazote is a great culinary herb, but in small doses--when eaten in large quantities, it can be poisonous.

Grown in the wild in Mexico, it self seeds. I've been able to overwinter a plant when the winters are not harsh. I first learned out this plant when looking for a recipe for bolita beans. Found one but didn't have and couldn't find epazote. Now I order it every year, dry some for the winter and to give as gifts; but mainly it goes in so many dishes besides beans!

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